


Capgras Syndrome

by awkwardkermitfrog



Category: Rhett & Link
Genre: Creepy, Gen, fake - Freeform, impostor
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-17
Updated: 2017-08-17
Packaged: 2018-12-16 09:28:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,488
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11825868
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/awkwardkermitfrog/pseuds/awkwardkermitfrog
Summary: Inspired by a prompt from @linkslipssinkships.Capgras Syndrome, also known as Capgras Delusion, is the irrational belief that a familiar person or place has been replaced with an exact duplicate — an imposter (Ellis, 2001, Hirstein, and Ramachandran, 1997).





	Capgras Syndrome

I shuffled through the papers on Link’s desk, not wanting to disturb them too much, searching for the staff calendar he had said he’d made. Usually, Link’s desk was something immaculate, clean; Link enjoyed cleaning, he enjoyed the feeling it brought to him. Lately, however, Link had appeared increasingly scattered in his thoughts and behaviors, leaving me to pick up the slack. I glanced around to see coffee stains, scatters of sketches, and two or three cans of soda. Underneath one was a spiral notebook marked “private” in large black letters. 

Normally I don’t go rifling through Link’s things, but my concern about him compelled me. Perhaps by looking through his journal I could see what was going through his head and help him out. Carefully I picked up a half full can of Dr. Pepper and placed it on the desk. I took the book over to the couch in our office and sat down, looking up at the clock to try and gauge how much time I had. Link was supposed to be in in about two hours. That should be enough to figure some things out and put the book back. I opened it up and skimmed around a few entries until the first words under June caught my attention, so much so that I found myself sitting bolt upright, reading with rapt attention, anxious for what came next. 

* * *

 

**_June 1st, 2017._ **

_Something’s terribly wrong with Rhett._

_I don’t know what it is. But he’s not himself lately. Something about him feels plastic, fake, like a sheen of some film that I can’t get off._

_Today in shooting GMM I rubbed his shirt to try and remove it but it didn’t come off. Rhett looked at me really strangely and asked me if I was okay. I said yeah, but it was still there. Like something was coating him and he couldn’t see it._

_This is going to to sound crazy - even to me - but it’s almost like it wasn’t Rhett. Little mannerisms were different, little things... I’m going to get a cup of coffee, clear my head._

* * *

 

**_June 5th, 2017._ **

_Today Christy asked me if I was okay at dinner. I simply said yes, that Rhett’s been acting weird lately. She asked me what I meant but I couldn’t explain it. I still can’t, really. I’m going to try to explain it here and then that should help me explain to her what’s going on. I think I have to tell someone about this sooner or later._

_Rhett’s been doing little weird things again, little things that I don’t think anyone else notices because I’ve known him longest. It’s stuff like the way he smiles, or the way he laughs. The sound is different, the twitches around his eyes are different. It’s like he’s wearing a mask. Maybe he’s depressed or something._

_I don’t know if that helps me explain things to Christy or not, but she’s calling me to bed and I should really get some sleep. Maybe it is in my head. Maybe everything’s fine. I hope that a good night’s rest will clear everything up._

* * *

 

**_June 6th, 2017._ **

_Things haven’t gotten better, they’ve gotten weirder._

_I asked Rhett today how he was doing, and he said fine. He asked me if we should write a song about coffee because we drink it so much. See, that’s something different - I drink coffee, Rhett drinks tea. This isn’t just in my head. It can’t be._

_Every time I look at him I see that - that - thing. That something I can’t explain or name, that something I can’t make anyone else see. I asked Stevie if she thought Rhett seemed like himself and she said yes. I felt nervous but I asked everyone on the crew if Rhett had been acting strangely or if he was hiding something from me, but they all said no. I guess that wasn’t the best strategy. After all if he’d told them to keep something from me, like a surprise or a prank, they would._

_I’ve been going into our security office and watching the cameras when I’m free to try and see if it’s there on the cameras. It is. That... that something. I wish I could explain it better._

_It’s almost as if Rhett isn’t Rhett. But that sounds really crazy! Even to me._

_Christy has noticed a shift in my mood that won’t go away, but I can’t exactly say “Rhett isn’t Rhett”, especially since I don’t know that Rhett isn’t Rhett. I have to find a way to test it somehow. Something no one else will see, no one else will notice. A question only I would have the answer to. Something about our childhoods maybe, or something private, like something we wouldn’t have ever shared on GMM. Maybe I’ll make something up and see if he remembers it. If he does, I know he’s pretending. If he doesn’t, then I know it’s really Rhett._

_I’ve been praying about this and can’t seem to find any answers. If God can’t help me, then I don’t know what to do._

_I have to test my theory though. I just don’t know how I’ll do it._

* * *

 

**_June 10th, 2017._ **

_I took the security footage home last night, told Christy I had stuff to work on, and shut myself up in the home office. I then hooked up the flash drive that would show me the studio’s footage onto my computer and started scrubbing through it, looking for Rhett. I had to see if I was right, if my suspicions were right. I don’t know how much longer I can pretend like everything’s normal around him. I was just getting absorbed into it when Lily appeared in the doorway and asked why I’d been working so much._

_“What do you mean? I’m working as much as usual.” I told her.  
_

_“No, dad. Mom says you aren’t sleeping, you haven’t been sleeping..” she looked down and twisted the string on her pajama pants. “Are you okay?”  
_

_I love my daughter so much for asking me this that I felt a pang in my chest. “I’m okay. Can you look at something for me?”_

_Lily came over and looked at the computer monitor._

_“Does anything seem weird about Rhett?” I asked._

_Lily’s a smart kid. She would have seen it if Rhett was acting weird, or if Rhett was someone else. I’m sure of it. But instead she just kind of frowned and looked at me funny. “Dad, he just looks tall and he’s always weird.” She laughed and I laughed with her, a fake laugh so that it wouldn’t seem too weird. With that I sent her off to bed. My daughter had unfortunately confirmed my worst fear. No one was going to be able to see this but me. I have to do something._

_But what?_

* * *

 

**_June 12th, 2017._ **

_I followed Rhett after work today. Well, he took a walk, said he was going to go out for a bit and then come back for his car. He typically likes to stretch his legs if it’s been a long day and it really had. Nothing had gone right - we kept having to reshoot, the wheel fell over, and I got so frustrated with myself that Stevie told me more than once to take a fifteen minute break. That’s something else - everyone’s been acting like I’m acting strangely, not Rhett? Are they all on his side about something that I just can’t see? I feel like I’m losing my mind._

_Rhett took a walk, but his walk was different. It was like watching someone pretend to be Rhett trying to walk. I wish I could properly explain that even to myself - but that’s what it looked like. His steps were too wide, or too small, and he was pigeon-toed. His arms swung differently, like he wasn’t sure what to do with them. I was at a distance, but I saw it - Rhett wasn’t acting like Rhett._

_I’m becoming more and more certain that Rhett isn’t Rhett. If Rhett isn’t even walking like himself, then how can I know it’s him? He isn’t laughing at my jokes, ironically or otherwise, he’s drinking coffee, he’s saying things differently. It’s like watching someone pretend to be my best friend. The more I think about it, that would make the most sense - someone has replaced Rhett. Someone has somehow perfectly copied Rhett and replaced him with a new Rhett. How does no one see this but me? People don’t just change how they walk or their mannerisms over night, they just don’t. Not after thirty years. I have known that man all my life and something is wrong with him. He’s not him. Rhett just isn’t Rhett._

_I have no idea what I’m going to do, but I have to find out where the real Rhett is. I have to._

* * *

 

**_June 14th, 2017._ **

_I went to the police yesterday and things got worse._

_I walked into the station and up to the desk. The lady asked me what I wanted. When I said I wanted to file a missing person’s report, she directed me to sit in a chair, so I did. I was sitting there for two hours, just drumming my fingers, before an officer came up and greeted me._

_“Hi, I’m Officer John Mulligan. What’s the problem?” He asked, leading me back to his desk.  
_

_“I need to file a missing person’s report.” I said bluntly.  
_

_“Okay, who is it for?”  
_

_“Rhett McLaughlin.”  
_

_The officer looked up at me and frowned before he continued. “I thought you looked really familiar. You’re on this show my daughter watches. What is it?” He snapped his fingers, trying to remember the name. “She’s pretty obsessed with it.”_

_“Good mythical morning is the show.” I said. I was pretty irritated. “Can we file the report?”  
_

_“Yes, it’s just that I could’ve sworn I saw him with you on the show this morning.” The officer said.  
_

_“It’s not a live show.” I explained. I found myself gripping my chair tightly, trying not to clench my fists with frustration. I somehow got the stupidest officer in the entire building.  
_

_“Oh, okay. How long has Mr. McLaughlin been missing?”  
_

_“I don’t know - because he’s sort of still around.”  
_

_The officer sat back in his chair and looked at me like I was the stupid one. “Then we don’t need to file a report.”_

_“He’s not himself, he’s someone else.” I explained. “I know how it sounds, but trust me. The real Rhett is somewhere else and we need to find him. I don’t know where else to go or what else to do, so I came here.”_

_I watched as the officer looked down at his pen and then set it on his desk before saying, “Please excuse me a moment,” and exiting the room. I continued to watch him as he spoke to another officer, gesturing towards me as he did so. I wish he would’ve been more tactful about it at least. I sighed and looked back at the desk and waited, figuring that someone was going to ask me to call my wife.  
_

_“Sir?”  
_

_I turned to the door and looked at the officer. “Please follow me.” I got up and followed him to another office where a new officer sat. The first thing I noticed was that he had probably the fluffiest beard I’d ever seen, large and black, but was completely bald on top._

_“Yes, come in Mr...”  
_

_“Neal.” I said, shaking his hand.  
_

_“Ah, yes. Mr. Neal. Now what seems to be the problem?”  
_

_“I need to file a missing person’s report on Rhett McLaughlin, a good friend of mine. I don’t know how long he’s been missing.” I said, sitting down in the chair in front of his desk.  
_

_“Mulligan here was telling me that Rhett isn’t missing.”  
_

_I felt like putting my head in my hands but stopped myself and took a deep, quiet breath. “He is.”_

_“Mulligan here was telling me that you even said he’s not missing.” The man scratched his beard and eyed me. “If this is a prank for that video website, it’s not funny. We have more important things to worry about here. I’m going to have to ask you to go before I have you taken out.”  
_

_I nodded and got up to leave. “I’m sorry for wasting your time.”_

_I walked outside and kicked a rock across the road, cursing under my breath. I knew how it would sound to say out loud, but I hadn’t realized how it would sound to other people, at least not like that. It figures that the first thing people think when they meet a Youtuber is that they’re doing it for a video. Doesn’t anyone care that we actually have lives?_

_I didn’t have very long to think about that though because I saw headlights pulling up to meet me on the sidewalk. The car stopped and the driver rolled down the window._

_Rhett - not Rhett - that thing looked at me from the driver’s side. “Need a ride, buddy?”_

_I turned away from him and ran to my car, jumping in, panting. Had Christy called him? That didn’t make sense, I hadn’t told her where I was going. I hadn’t told anyone. I watched as Rhett’s car slowly pulled away from the station and took off my glasses. I sat there for a long time, just trying to figure out what I even could do next._

_This man is my business partner. Without him I have no livelihood. I need him around, the real Rhett, to make videos with. Not this fake. Not this thing that was walking around wearing his face. I prayed and drove home. When Christy asked me how I was, I said I was fine, and when she and the kids went to bed I shut myself off in my studio, trying to sort everything out._

* * *

 

**_June 17th, 2017._ **

_I’ve been at the studio for two days, sleeping here, following fake Rhett around, trying to take his mask off. He’s been getting more and more pissed at me, at my closeness, at following him at a distance. I walked into the bathroom with him and he lost it._

_“Dude, would you just give me some space? You’re being really codependent and it’s not cool.” He shouted, sending me reeling back. I turned around and walked away, passing the editing room and seeing that everyone was looking at me as I walked by. I guess they heard him snap at me. I slammed into our office and threw myself onto the couch.  
_

_A few minutes later I heard the fake’s feet shuffling into the room. I rolled over to look at it, the thing wearing my best friend’s face, and felt myself full of anger. How dare this thing not only take the face of my best friend, but then yell at me? I watched as it sat down in the chair by its desk and rolled it over to me._

_“Look, I don’t know what the hell is going on with you. But everyone’s worried. You’re not acting like yourself. I think...” I watched as it made a mock concerned face. It couldn’t make a real concerned face, it wouldn’t know how. But it tried. “I think you need a few days off.”  
_

_I turned away from it, burying my face in the pillow, tears in my eyes. I couldn’t leave, not with this thing around, not with it pretending to be the father of Rhett’s children, Jessie’s wife, my friend. This thing had just slid in and taken over and no one had noticed but me. I had to do something, I had to._

_“Come on Link, quit acting like a child.” The thing’s voice scolded. I must have made a sound because then its voice softened. “Take the time. You need it.”  
_

_I felt a small sob escape from me as I laid there, clutching the pillow, powerless to do anything. What on earth could I do? The police wouldn’t help me. I can’t talk to my wife. My own daughter acted like I was crazy. I was powerless to stop this, this, thing._

_I don’t know when the thing left, but I must’ve cried myself to sleep, because the next thing I knew the lights in the room were dark and a blanket had been spread over me. I sat up, took off my glasses, and cleaned them. I looked around the office. The thing was gone, and I don’t know where it went off to._

_I have to warn Jessie. I should have done that before the police. I can’t believe I didn’t think of it before. Tonight I’m going over there, and I’m going to tell her that her husband isn’t her husband. That something is wrong with him. I don’t know how it’s going to go, but it has to be better than it did at the police station._

* * *

 

**_June 18th, 2017._ **

_Last night did not go well. Honestly this whole month has been hell and I want it to end._

_I went to their house like I planned, parked about a block away, and walked up to it. The lights were out because it was about two in the morning at the time. I used my spare key to get into the back door and crept inside, sliding off my shoes so I would be quieter. I have to admit I didn’t really think this through._

_I walked upstairs to the bedroom and saw Jessie alone in the bed. The shower in the master bathroom was running. The thing that was acting like Rhett must have been in it, taking a shower. I stood there for a very long time, watching Jessie breathe, illuminated by moonlight and the light under the bathroom door. She really is a beautiful woman. I bent down and shook her arm gently, my own heart thumping loudly in my chest._

_“Wha...” Jessie said softly. Then she saw me. Then she started screaming. “Rhett! There’s an intruder! Rhett!”  
_

_I heard several things in the shower fall and Rhett burst through the door. I only caught a glimpse of him before something hit me in the face, and I blacked out._

_When I came to, I noticed I was on the bed, and the thing and Jessie were talking quietly. I laid there, not moving, just listening, barely daring the breathe for fear I’d miss something. What was this thing telling Jessie?_

_“We need to call Christy.” Jessie’s voice whispered.  
_

_“And tell her what? Your husband broke into our house? At two in the freaking morning?” The thing’s voice sounded angry. “I thought we had a real intruder.”  
_

_“I thought so too!”  
_

_There was a stamping of a foot, I’m not sure whose. Then the thing’s voice again, but quieter this time, calmer. “He’s not himself lately, Jessie. We should just let him sleep it off.”_

_“What do you mean, not himself?”_

_The thing sighed. “It’s like he’s more nervous than usual. The littlest things make him jump. He’s scared all the time, and I don’t know why.”_

_“Too much coffee?”  
_

_“No, it’s not like that. It’s more like something’s wrong. Like the other day he kept following me around the studio, really close, brushing up against me, bumping into me. I snapped at him and he kind of had a freak out.” The thing’s voice sounded surprisingly guilty. “It’s like he’s becoming obsessed with me or something.”  
_

_“Obsessed with you?”  
_

_“Yeah. I keep catching him staring at me from a distance, or in our office, just staring at me. And he’s asking other people about me. Like the crew. Instead of asking me how I am.”  
_

_“That’s weird.” Jessie’s whisper sounded judgmental. “Maybe he’s planning something for you?”  
_

_“It’s more like he’s suspicious of me, like he thinks I did something wrong.” Rhett’s voice sounded heavy. “Am I making sense?”  
_

_“Sort of.”  
_

_“I think we should wait and talk to him in the morning.”  
_

_I heard the thing’s feet walk over to me and shake my shoulder gently. I opened my eyes and looked up at it, the thing wearing Rhett’s face, up close. I have to say it was amazing just how well the thing had done it. How up close, it almost looked like the real Rhett. It had his grey green eyes, it had his dirty blond beard, it had his crow’s feet. It was trying so hard to fool me into thinking it was Rhett’s face, so hard to fool everyone._

_“Hey, buddy.” It shook my shoulder again, still gently. “Link.”  
_

_“Rhett?” I asked. I couldn’t exactly say “thing”.  
_

_“I don’t know what you’re doing here, but you’re welcome to stay in the guest room for the night.” It smiled at me, that wrong smile. “Is that okay?”  
_

_I felt terror move through my chest at the idea of sleeping in the same house as this thing, turning my blood cold. If I said yes, it might hurt me. If I said no, I would be leaving it open to hurt Jessie, to hurt Rhett’s kids, the kids who were like my own kids. I cursed myself again for not going to Jessie before the police and looked at the thing. I figured that maybe I wouldn’t have to sleep if I stayed here, maybe I could guard the door, guard Jessie. I nodded._

_“Great. Let’s get you up.” The thing guided me into a sitting position. I looked at Jessie, who had her arms crossed over her nightgown, and to the thing that was pretending to be Rhett, who was wearing a bathrobe. I then followed the thing down the hall to the guest bedroom, my head pounding.  
_

_I must have been more tired than I realized, because even though I tried to stay awake, I found it soon to be the next morning. Rays of warm sunlight came in through the window and over the bed, making me sit up quickly. I ran out the door, down the hallway and to the bedroom to see if Jessie was there, if she was okay. No one there. I then went downstairs, quickly, not sure what I would find. Would the impostor hurt Rhett’s family now that it knew I was catching on? I looked into the dining room and saw, to my relief, two boys sitting there eating cereal._

_“Link!” Locke said happily. “When did you get here?”  
_

_“Don’t worry about it.” I said, still relieved to find that he was okay. I tousled his hair and looked over, behind him, across to the kitchen doorway. “Where is your mother?”  
_

_“She’s outside, saying bye to dad.” Shepherd said. “She said something about calling Christy. Is she coming over too?”  
_

_“I don’t know.” I answered. “I’ll be back.”  
_

_I walked as calmly as I was able out of the kitchen and across the living room to the front door, which was closed. I opened it to see thing Rhett and Jessie standing there, Jessie on her phone, and the thing crossing his arms._

_“It would be great if you could come over.” Jessie was saying into the phone. “He’s not - “ she turned around and spotted me. “He’s here. You can talk to him.” Jessie turned to me. “It’s Christy.”  
_

_I nodded and took the phone, all the time eyeing the thing that was pretending to be Rhett. “Hello?”_

_“Link?” My wife’s voice sounded worried, which made me feel guilty. “Oh my gosh, where have you been? Jessie said you broke in? What’s going on?”  
_

_“It’s complicated, Christy.” I stepped away from the thing and Jessie, eyeing the thing the whole time as they both watched me. “I can’t talk about it here.”  
_

_“Link, we’re all practically family. You can tell me.”  
_

_I sighed at the heartbreak in Christy’s voice, the worry. I looked at the not Rhett and gritted my teeth. “I’m sorry. I wish I could talk about it. But I can’t. I’ll tell you later.”_

_Christy sighed on the other side of the phone. “Okay. Please come home soon.” She sounded very resigned. I handed the phone back to Jessie._

_“She hung up.” Jessie said, looking down at the phone.  
_

_“So, you wanna tell us what’s going on, Link?” The thing said. I noticed immediately how annoyed he sounded with me. The thing is not good at faking concern, as his face would say.  
_

_“I need to talk to you, Jessie.”  
_

_“Whatever you need to say, you need to say it to both of us.” Jessie also sounded angry. “You broke into our house, Link.”  
_

_“I didn’t break in. I used the key. And I need to talk to Jessie.” I said to the thing. I looked at her. “I need to talk to you alone.”  
_

_Jessie stared at me, finally giving in. “Alright. We’ll talk inside. Rhett, can you take the boys outside?”_

_“Yeah.” The thing said, opening the door to the house. I watched as it took two boys, two young boys who I care very much about, and directed them outside. I stared as the door shut behind them, not wanting to take my eyes away. I couldn’t let anything happen to Rhett’s boys.  
_

_“Now Link. Tell me what’s going on.”  
_

_I turned back to Jessie, who gestured for me to sit in the couch next to her. I sat down and looked out the window, where Rhett was getting the boys into the car._

_“Link, tell me what’s going on. Now.”  
_

_I sighed. “This is going to sound crazy.”_

_“But you still need to tell me.”  
_

_I stared down at my hands, trying to find the words. “Have you noticed anything different about your husband?”_

_“No. He seems like the man I married to me.”  
_

_“You haven’t noticed anything... unusual about him?” I looked up at her waiting for a response. Instead I got a concerned look. “Have you noticed that something might be wrong with him?”_

_Jessie stared at me and sighed. “What do you mean, wrong with him?”_

_“I don’t know! How can you not see this?” I stood up off the couch and flung my hands in the air in frustration. I looked back at her. “I’m sorry. I did not mean to lose my cool there. I’m sorry.”  
_

_“Link, what do you think I don’t see?” Jessie asked, her words slow and careful.  
_

_“Rhett isn’t Rhett. He hasn’t been Rhett in a while.” I looked at Jessie and saw her eyes were narrowing at me, as if she wasn’t sure she was hearing me right. “Just, take him to the doctor okay? Trust me. They’ll see what I mean.” A doctor. That made sense.  
_

_Jessie shook her head though. “Link, you aren’t making sense. I think you need to talk to Rhett.”_

_“Please don’t tell Rhett about this.” I got down on my knees in front of the couch and took her hands in my own. I looked right into her eyes. “Jessie, please. Rhett cant’ know about this conversation. But I need you to keep the boys safe. I need you to go to your mother’s for a few days, just until I can get Rhett to a doctor. I’ll take him.”  
_

_“Will that help you? If I do that?” Jessie asked, her words slow again.  
_

_“Yes. That will help me.” I squeezed her hands. “That will help me very much. But please, you can’t tell Rhett about this. You can’t. Please.”  
_

_Jessie looked out the window to see the car was returning into the driveway. She seemed torn, like she was unsure what to do. Lie to me? Lie to her husband?  “Okay Link. For you, I won’t tell him. Not for a few days. After that, I’m going to have to tell him.” She looked back at me. “And after that you have to agree to see a doctor.”_

_I nodded in agreement. “Thank you.”_

_The front door opened and I quickly stepped away from Jessie._

_“Everything alright in here?” The thing with Rhett’s face asked. Shepherd and Locke came in behind him, running in and then up the stairs, chasing each other. They paid us no mind.  
_

_“Yes, everything’s fine.” Jessie got up and greeted not Rhett with a kiss on the cheek. “My mother’s called, and I have to go away for a couple of days.” She looked back at me and gave a small wink. “You were here, Link, you heard her call. She wants to see the boys.”  
_

_“Right.” I nodded at the two of them. “I should go soon, but I’ll help you pack.” I added, thinking of Christy.  
_

_“You don’t need to do that.” The not Rhett said. It figures that he’d want me away as soon as possible. I’m the only person who knows who it is, the damage it might do.  
_

_“No. I will. I’ll help the boys pack.” I went upstairs without waiting for either of them to say anything.  
_

_Later, after I watched Jessie and the boys leave, the thing that looked like Rhett drove me back to my car. It was nerve racking to be in the car with him, alone like that. At the studio I felt less vulnerable, less alone, with more people around. Here, with just myself and this, this monster, in the car, I felt my muscles tense up and my body heat rising. I stared at it the whole way over, watching it fumble with the gears, like it was just learning how to drive. I looked at its eyes - grey-er than usual, less green. It couldn’t get the eyes right. That’s what always bothered me most, that it couldn’t get the eyes right. At least I could rest easier knowing that Jessie and the boys were away from it. I couldn’t stop being mad at myself for not thinking of that sooner than I did. Still can’t. I should’ve been more protective, I should’ve said something sooner._

_“Here we are.” The thing said. It stopped the car next to my own car and shut off the engine. “Now are you going to tell me what’s going on? Jessie said you want me to see a doctor.”_

_I nodded. “You need to see a doctor.” I said thickly._

_“Link... I think you’re the one who needs a doctor.” The thing looked at me, trying to imitate Rhett’s concerned face, but it couldn’t quite pull it off. The eyes were still wrong, the color too muddy, the hair was wrong, the wrinkles were wrong. Everything about it looked like a mask that someone had made thinking that they knew what Rhett looked like, maybe from internet videos, but not from really looking at him. I fumbled with the car door and opened it, not looking back, not caring what the thing said to try to get me back. I couldn’t stay in that car with it any longer._

_Tonight I’m going to tell Christy what’s going on. And tomorrow we’re going to do something about it. We have to._

* * *

 

“I see you’re sticking your nose where it doesn’t belong.” 

I jumped, looking up and seeing Link in the doorway, his journal still open in my lap. “Link...” 

Christy appeared in the doorway behind Link and surveyed us both. She looked at the journal in my hands and then at her husband. She put her hand on his shoulder and then looked at me. “Link, it’s okay.” She said softly. Link took a deep breath.

I shut the journal and set it beside me. I wasn’t sure what to say. What do you say when your best friend thinks you’re some kind of alien creature, not yourself? 

“I came in to tell you I won’t be at work for a few days.” Link said, shifting from foot to foot. “Christy says I need to see a doctor.” 

I nodded, looking from one of them to the other. “I think she’s right.”

Link looked up at me and gave me a look of pure hatred. “If I find out whatever you are has hurt Jessie, Rhett’s sons, my children or my wife, I will kill you. Whether or not you are Rhett. I will kill you.” 

My mouth fell open, and I struggled to close it. “I would never hurt your kids. I’m Rhe-”

“Liar!” Link shot back. Christy took Link’s shoulders and rubbed them, up and down, a gesture which seemed to calm him a bit. He closed his eyes and took a shuddering breath. “Just... don’t. Not right now.” 

“Okay.” 

I watched as Christy directed him out of the room, a smile creeping across my face. There’s no way that puny man could stop me, not with his wife distracting him. And now, I have everything I need in place to take over what’s left of Rhett McLaughlin. 

**Author's Note:**

> kudos and comments fuel my soulless body.


End file.
